a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

688 jews are herded in to boxcars to rid berlin of jews....its as raw as it comes...100 humans of all ages struggle to survive..life, death, courage. I put this film up with the same cadence of realism as Schindlers List...this creation is made even more realistic by the lack of english spoken..not a film for children. this is one of them films i would recommend be watched in history lesson in secondary education...a superb ensemble have created a masterpiece in my opinion..the portrayal of Nina is amazingly done by Lena Beyerling an actress who i hope is now doing great things...just watch...reflect...we today are very very lucky humans..this production has reinforced that to me today..

"Der letzte Zug" or "The Last Train" is a German / Czech co-production from 2006, so this film has its 10th anniversary this year. The language used most in here is German, but others are heard too. The writer duo are Artur Brauner and Stephen Glantz and they may not be known to many I guess. The directors, however, are fairly famous, namely Joseph Vilsmaier and his now-deceased wife Dana Vávrová. The cast does not include too many well-known names, but German film buffs probably have come across Gedeon Burkhard and Sibel Kekilli already. With the topic in here, I must say I am a bit surprised this 2-hour film did not receive much more awards recognition outside the Bavarian Film Awards.Almost the entire film is set in a train that rides to the concentration camp Auschwitz, so yes this is another German movie set during the dark days of World War II. I also feel that it did not really offer anything new that has not been shown in older movies in terms of the relationship between Nazis and Jews and the killings of course. But I am interested in the subject, so this was not a problem at all for me. What makes this film stand out though is the background. This is not really about Jews trying to flee from Nazis in ghettos or trying to break free out of the camps. This is in-between, namely in the train and I think they did a good job here at finding a healthy balance in terms of telling stories and letting us get to know some characters while not focusing on others. It's a fine line, but Vilsmaier is walking it successfully here. Yes there are moments of heroism and tragedy that did not always feel authentic, but it's also difficult not to include these in a film with this topic and runtime. And being a huge Kekilli fan, I may also be a bit biased. But I think for a film over 120 minutes, there are really not many lengths in here and I would call it a success. Go see it if you are interested in German history of the 20th century.

The film is good, but somewhat sluggish. On the one hand something always happens, on the other — there's no sense of dynamics, nor feeling of hanging emotions. Music is not quite appropriate. It doesn't help enough, it's too subtle. Acting is good. May be not superb, but good enough to believe in characters. I suppose the main guilt for film being not excellent lies on director. For example, the scene with 'Ode to Joy' must have been made more dramatic, the acting there was (or could be) very good, so, the problem is in directing. May be my expectations were not right and the idea was to make one feel the ordinariness of evil. Nonetheless I want something more than just depiction of historical evil. And I see no answers, even no honestly stated questions. May be, though, my willing to get that questions is a good result of watching the film?

Basically it's just a train ride but you can feel the despair and increasing hopelessness people in there are facing on that last train that will eventually take them to Auschwitz and certain death. The acting of everyone is very convincing (esp. Lena Beyerling, Gedeon Burkhard and Sibell Kekilli). Even though some things that happen on the train are left to your imagination you end up having a pretty realistic idea (minus the smell, thirst, hunger, and the corpses) of how it must have been like inside those wagons - and still it's unbelievable. Seeing the ashes of dead Jews falling like snow, accompanied by Beethoven ('To joy') gives you the chills. The story might not be based on real characters but it's as close to the truth as it gets. Making the movie was a bold move, but it was worth making. Go see this movie, you won't regret it.